Damaged in a 1982 fire, the Fort Ontario flag resides in a private home in Scotland, a symbol of the American’s stubborn resistance and British determination.Īlthough the British won the Battle of Oswego, they failed to achieve their objective of capturing enough material to slow completion of two powerful warships at Sacket’s Harbor, which later tipped the scales of naval superiority on Lake Ontario in favor of the US Navy.

John Hewett of the Royal Marines was wounded three times while tearing the American flag from the flagpole. Hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, Mitchell’s force of 290 soldiers and sailors with 5 small cannon, endured heavy artillery bombardments and fought until driven from the fort. Colonel George Mitchell, the American commander, time to move vast amounts of naval supplies and stores out of reach of the British. Fort Ontario, which guarded Oswego, turned away one attack in 1813 but fell to a powerful British fleet with 1,000 troops on May 6th, 1814.Ī storm delayed the initial British landing attempt and provided Lt. Paul Lear, Historic Site Manager, Fort Ontario State Historic Siteĭuring the War of 1812 Oswego, New York was an important forwarding point on the supply route to American military operations on Lake Ontario.

British war of 1812 navy hat